Suicide bombers and gunmen attack Kabul hotel

Suicide bombers and gunmen have attacked the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel in
Afghanistan.

7:00AM BST 29 Jun 2011

The first attacker blew himself up at the hotel entrance, blasting a way through the tight security around one of Kabul's leading hotels.

Behind him, five more gunmen, some wearing suicide jackets and others armed with rocket-propelled grenades, swarmed into the lobby of the Intercontinental and began seeking out guests, floor by floor, room by room.

At least 10 people were reported killed during a rare night-time raid carried out by the Afghan Taliban, in a well-planned operation that appeared to be modelled on the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Truckloads of police arrived shortly after shooting started at about 10pm, passing wedding guests who fled the scene in panic.

Over five hours later, Nato said two of its helicopters had killed three attackers on the roof, ending the siege.